365 Places to Eat

I have the occasion to eat lunch at The Athenaeum, CalTech’s private on campus club, a couple time a year. I usually wouldn’t review a place that required membership, or accompanying a member, to get in, it is such a nice lunch that I figured I would drop a few notes about it.

Walking into the building, which looks like it would blend in on an Ivy League campus, I hear a string quartet playing in one room before veering left into the main dining room. How civilized. We walk through the Main Dining Room out onto the West Patio, taking a seat under one of the outdoor heaters. It turns out that the weather is warm enough that we turn the heater off before our backs are broiled.

So, the atmosphere is classy, how is the food? I plan on ordering a cup of the chowder and the steak salad, but my host suggests that I take a walk past the carvery buffet before I make my choice. I do and I decide to have a go at the buffet.

This is one tasty spread. I dive into the ceviche, pile a little arugala salad (with pomegranate seeds), skip the risotto, pick up some poached salmon appetizer, ladel a cup of Boston clam chowder (passing over the vegetable lentil), attack the plump asparagus (which are topped with roasted red and yellow peppers) and finally, I choose a few slices of roast lamb leg over the stuffed chicken breasts.

Now, had I wanted to, I could have piled a bit of everything on my plate (and there is more than I mentioned), just like any buffet. Unlike most buffets, I actually want to pile on a little of everything. It looks that good. I assume that it tastes good, but I know that looks can be deceiving.

The food. It’s good. It’s very good. If I was a member, and CalTech was anywhere near where I worked, I would come here for lunch. Often. The salads are delicious, the salmon moist and tasty, the chowder is decent — not a stand out, the asparagus is cooked perfect and the peppers are a nice touch. The lamb is tender and flavorful. Finally the ceviche. I don’t think I have ever had ceviche at a buffet, although it is a great buffet dish. This ceviche was excellent, plump shrimp and fish swimming in a tart vinegar and citrus.

The bill went on my host’s tab, but I did see that the buffet rings up at a very reasonable $10.75. A side note that the iced tea was very good. I have also had the strawberry lemonade, a crowd favorite, which is refreshing and also very sweet.

An interesting note of history about The Athenaeum:

The first formal dinner was held in February 1931, when Albert Einstein arrived for a two-month sojourn at Caltech. Three Nobel Prize winners, Albert Einstein, Robert A. Millikan, and A. A. Michelson, attended that dinner.

Kevin at LA Observed points out:

The building, by the way, was designed by Gordon Kaufmann, architect for the L.A. Times building and, improbably, Hoover Dam.

The Athenaeum (at CalTech)
551 S. Hill Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 395-8200

Maybe not the best reason to go to the Getty Villa, but certainly a nice bonus is the Cafe. The Cafe at the Getty Villa is perched above the outdoor amphitheater. On a gorgeous day like the one we spent there, it is the perfect place to rest your feet and fill your tummy.

The Cafe “serves casual Mediterranean fare” which is reasonably priced and made up of seasonal ingredients. Browsing through the menu, we had trouble narrowing down the choices. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the biggest appetite and wanted something light. If not for that, I would have tried the Caprese Burger ($9.50) — a beef patty with pine nuts, peppercorns and fish sauce topped with local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and herb aioli, served with roasted red pepper ketchup, wow!

Instead, I opted for the Villa Salad ($8.25) which is a mix of chopped romaine and radicchio, artichokes, chick peas, feta cheese, pistacios, topped with a creamy lemon yogurt dressing. For a warm day after walking the Villa, it was a refreshing salad.

My wife also opted for a salad. She had the Prosciutto and Stone Fruit Salad ($9.25) — Baby greens, prosciutto, peaches and nectarines, pecorino romano, toasted walnuts and a basil vinaigrette dressing. The salad was a hit, although the plate it was served on proved a bit difficult to wrangle.

Since the lunch was rather light and we spent much of the day walking the Villa, we ordered a dessert, the Lemon Panna Cotta ($5.50). I’m not generally a fan of Panna Cotta, so I’m not the best judge. I did like the fresh blueberries and the citrus lace wafer on top.

Because of the Getty’s limited entry policy, it takes planning to make a visit. For weekends, it can take two weeks or more to get a reservation. Plan ahead and enjoy a great meal.

Of course, there is more to see than just the food. A few pictures from the Villa:

I can say this with certainty. You would never randomly find this place. If you did happen to find it, you would never go eat here. You would be missing out.

Aliki’s Greek Taverna is in the LAX landing path, attached to a Super 8 Motel, across the street from rental car lots. Somehow, when you go inside, all of that disappears and the food comes to the front.

The owner and servers are very friendly, if not surprised that anyone found their restaurant. Frankly, I’m stumped why someone would choose the spot to cook up such delicious food. I’m no snob, but this is not a user friendly location.

The food is great. The prices are not expensive, but certainly not a bargain. With a drink and meal, lunch can run $10-15, but is well worth it. The gyro melts in your mouth with a variety of flavors evolving with every bite.

One of the sides at Aliki’s is lemon potatoes. I had no idea what to expect here. The potatoes are essentially large pieces, infused with lemon (maybe steamed?). Unique and simple, and flavorful.

There is a nice outside patio in the back with plenty of seating. Hopefully Aliki’s can survive in this location.

Aliki’s Greek Taverna
5862 Arbor Vitae St
Los Angeles, CA 90045

I had heard mixed reviews, which is the best way to get me to try a place. If I get a bad review, I usually skip it, if I get a great review, my expectations are usually too high. To cut to the chase, my review was that the food was great!

My wife ordered a Buffalo Burger and I went for the Haute Dog. The menu is limited mainly to salads and sandwiches. All of the options looked appetizing and even without a ton of choices, it wasn’t easy to narrow things down. I angled for the sandwiches but that Haute Dog caught my eye.

The Buffalo Burger ($8.95) was juicy and flavorful. It came on their panini bread, topped with onion, arugula, tomato, Fiscalini white cheddar and
Sweet Harissa Mayo. As far as I can remember, it was my first taste of ground buffalo. I agree with my wife who described it as “a more flavorful turkey burger”. The meat was leaner than a beef patty, but much juicier than a turkey patty. Over all the buffalo burger was a winner, well cooked, well topped and with great bread.

My Haute Dog ($7.95) was a smoked venison sausage, split in half lengthwise and sandwiched between two pieces of a French baguette. The dog is topped with horseradish mustard, blue cheese cream, and cioppolini onions. I liked the idea of the blue cheese cream, but the horseradish mustard way overpowered it. The flavors came together though, and the nicely toasted baguette was a perfect wrapper. Like the buffalo burger, I hadn’t had venison sausage before. 2 for 2 on new meats.

There were two soups on the menus that day, potato leek and lima bean. I ordered a cup of the potato leek to share. The soup was good, but was the very thin and brothy, I like my potato leek soups a little thicker. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t any cream either, the broth was the color of the stock (chicken, I assume). The soup wasn’t bad, but wasn’t remarkable either.

We did love the burger and dog. Two unique takes on American classics. I would have pictures, but there were no fewer than three 8×11 signs saying “no photography”. I’m always curious what spawns those types of signs. Is it blogger/yelp/chowhound backlash? Fear of copycats? Seems a little silly to me.

It does take a little while for the food to be prepared, but there is a nice patio to sit on. There isn’t much indoor seating, other than a small bar area.

Service was friendly and courteous. A lot of customers from the main store were in and out of the cafe. Most for some great looking coffee drinks. Others ordered meals and the servers at the cafe announce when the orders are ready over the PA system so customers could hear no matter where they were.

Cafe Surfas
8777 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-558-1458
Breakfast Served 8:30AM- 3PM Monday - Saturday, 10AM Sundays
Lunch Served From 11AM- 3PM

I don’t go to sushi for lunch very often, it’s more of a dinner meal for me. I did have a very good lunch special at Kaido not too long ago.

For $14, you get an almost obscene amount of food. The Sushi Large Plate provides miso, a plate with 7 pieces of nigiri and 1 sushi roll, plus your choice of salads.

Sushi

The combination comes with tuna, albacore, yellowtail, halibut, shrimp, salmon, something I can’t remember.

The salads to choose from are substantial. I tried the chicken salad and there was a full chicken breast in addition to the fresh greens, veggies and avocado.

Chicken Salad

There is enough food that you could almost split the combo, with maybe another roll or too to fill two people up.

Service is friendly and fast for lunch, good if you need to get back to work.

Kaido is located in a little strip mall at Santa Monica and Yale. The space used to be occupied by one of our favorite sushi bars, Senju, which closed years ago. Glad to see that the space is being put to good use.

Kaido
2834 Santa Monica Blvd,
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Lemon Moon is the casual dining collaboration between Josiah Citrin (of Melisse) and Raphael Lunetta (of JiRaffe). Get it, Lemon (Citrin) Moon (Lunetta)?

However the two came together to collaborate, it’s a successful marriage. Lemon Moon is only open for breakfast and lunch, catering mainly to the business crowd working in the same building as Lemon Moon and the surrounding offices.

The menu changes daily, depending on what is in season. The set up is simple, Lemon Moon largely offers a number of showcase salads. You can see them in the display case while you are waiting to place your order. You can choose one or more salads for your lunch and then add a cup of soup for a satisfying meal.

The ratatouille is fantastic and I had an albondigas soup that had just the right amount of spice. You can see some of the other choices on their online menu.

In addition to the salads, there are also a few items from the grill and a number of sandwiches.

Lemon Moon is a little bit on the higher end price wise for a casual lunch. The space is nice though, not what I expected from the first floor of an office building. There is a decent sized courtyard and also some large communal tables to enjoy your meal at.

Lemon Moon isn’t an everyday kind of lunch spot, but is a nice treat once in a while. It’s easy to drop $15 or more for lunch once you add a drink and tax. There are some nice touches, like a home made cookie and friendly service. Portions are also larger than they seem and I had some leftovers. This is a good place to go with a few people and share some orders.

Parking is free in the underground parking lot with validation.

Lemon Moon
12200 West Olympic Blvd # 110
Santa Monica
(310) 442-9191‎

The Bookmark Cafe at the Santa Monica Public Library might be one of the best kept lunch secrets in downtown Santa Monica.

For around $8 you can get a half sandwich, a small soup and a small salad. Add in a brewed iced tea to go with it and you have a full lunch for $10 in the tranquil library courtyard.

Soups vary daily, last time I was there it was cauliflower (my choice) or lentil with sausage. You can choose from a list of sandwiches, I like the tuna on rye. Their tuna has some nice extra crunch from cucumbers, don’t see that in tuna too much. Teh small salad is no slouch either. It’s not just iceberg lettuce and dressing, there are pieces of broccoli, zucchini and mushrooms along with the normal salad base.

The cafe also has a full coffee bar and also serves breakfast and dinner. Afterward you can go check out some cookbooks…

Bookmark Cafe at the Main Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA
View Larger Map

Have you ever put a piece of meat in your mouth and just not wanted to swallow because the flavor was so extraordinary? I had that feeling the first time I put a bite of lamb/beef gyro from Al Hamra Halal Cafe. And to think, it almost didn’t happen.

I had all intentions of going to Al Hamra. When I pulled into the very crowded parking lot, I happened to be in front of another Halal spot in the mini mall which I first stepped into. I saw Chicken Dijon next door, which I like for rotisserie. I stayed the course and headed in to Al Hamra. Even then, I was planning on having the chicken shawerma. When I placed my order, though, the friendly server said “first time here? we suggest people order the combo of half chicken and half gyros the first time”. And my fate was sealed, a date with the best shawerma I ever put in my mouth.

My adventure didn’t stop with that bite. For $9.99 I had a heaping mound of chicken and gyros (lamb/beef) on top of rice, with a crisp salad and home made hummous on the side. I added a refreshing Moroccan mint iced tea and it was lunch perfection for around $13 with tax. Did I say lunch? There was enough food that I not only filled up for lunch, but took home enough left overs for a complete dinner.

The overall experience at Al Hamra is just fantastic. The owner is often there and the service couldn’t be friendlier. It’s an oasis in the south bay and one of the more enjoyable lunches I have had in a while. The sweet desserts are a nice touch too.

Al Hamra Halal Cafe
2515 Artesia Boulevard
Redondo Beach, California 90278

On the corner of Culver and Cardiff in Culver City is Ugo Cafe, an Italian eatery that aims for the feel of a European sidewalk cafe.

With a simple style and basic menu, Cafe Ugo is a relaxing spot to enjoy lunch and a glass of wine or beer with friends. When the weather is nice, it’s imperative that you grab a seat outside and watch the people walk by.

The menu is basic, as I said, but there are plenty of choice options. I had one of my favorite chopped salads at Ugo. Everything was cut up with near scientific precision and uniformity, plus the dressing was light but flavorful so that it didn’t overpower the ingredients.

Service seems to be spotty, in the sense that it can take a while for the server to stop by, and perhaps takes a while to get your food, but in the end the atmosphere and the food win over.

Prices are very reasonable, with most dishes in the around $10 plus or minus a few bucks. There is a range of Italian beers and Italian wines by the glass or the bottle, plus a dessert menu that will transport you back to Rome.

Ugo Cafe
3865 Cardiff Ave
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 204-1222

I have said it before, I’ll say it again. I could eat rotisserie chicken every day. I consider myself somewhat of an amateur expert on the subject.

Chicken Maison is Mediterranean style chicken, served with their own concoction of garlic sauce and pita bread. There are other dishes, such as falafel, kabobs, salads and soups, but you go to Chicken Maison for the chicken.

A quarter piece of dark meat chicken comes with two sides and pita bread for $7. Throw in a fresh brewed mint iced tea and you have a filling lunch for under $10. I like to have a baked potato and steamed veggies on the side. The veggies are cooked just right, steamed but still crunchy. The flavor is still there, not overly steamed and mushed together.

The chicken itself is excellent. Of the rotisserie chicken spots, their skin is probably some of the crispiest, which I like. There isn’t a real heavy marinade, and I think that there is a decent amount of pepper on the skin. The garlic sauce isn’t overly strong, but does have nice flavor. It’s the creamier version of the sauce that everyone tried to perfect.

Another bonus is that Chicken Maison is very easy to get to off of the freeway in the South Bay. If you are driving by during lunch, make sure to jog off the freeway at Inglewood, head south and Chicken Maison is at the first main intersection of Inglewood and Manhattan Beach.

Chicken Maison
2709 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Tel: 310-725-0035

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